There is little to no market for whale meat in Japan, according to the manager of the import company Asian Trading Co Ltd, which has been Hvalur hf.’s main Japanese customer.
The manager said Asian Trading does not intend to purchase Icelandic whale meat from Hvalur hf. this year. This news comes from a recorded telephone conversation between the Asian Trading manager and a Greenpeace representative on 7th May this year. A copy of the tape was given to Frettabladid newspaper.
In the conversation the manager says the Japanese barely eat whale any more and it is especially unpopular among the young. Whale meat consumption in Japan amounts to around 4,000 tonnes a year according to the Asian Trading manager; and that figure includes dolphin meat.
Kristjan Loftsson, managing director of Hvalur hf., stated that the company’s plan is to sell all the company’s fin whale catch to Japan through Asian Trading. There is a quota for 150 fin whales this year, which would amount to a minimum of 6,000 tonnes. Hvalur hf. has previously sold 80 tonnes to Japan through Asian Trading.
“People can debate forever about the annual food consumption of Japan,” Loftsson told Frettabladid. He said that Japan is suffering its own economic crisis and the price for whale meat has gone down – but he said he does not believe the market in Japan has disappeared.
“People aren’t only thinking of this year, but also to the future. To start up again after such a long time is very expensive,” Loftsson said. According to Loftsson, the Asian Trading manager denied having spoken to Greenpeace at all.
“If this is a conversation with him then it is something that Greenpeace have fabricated. They work like that,” Loftsson said.
In a conversation with Frettabladid, the man Greenpeace claim to have spoken with confirmed that he is the manager of Asian Trading, but would not say anything further.
A group from Greenpeace arrived in Iceland yesterday, Sunday, to hold meetings with the authorities and politicians.
“The reason we are here is that we want to show the authorities that there is no market for whale meat in Japan,” said Wakao Hanaoka from Greenpeace Japan. He is the person who spoke with Asian Trading on behalf of Greenpeace.
I talked with Mars Trading Co. yesterday and of course I recorded this conversation.
They also confirmed – no whale meat purchase this year was planned for their restaurant chain on Mars.
PS. Conversation was in Marsian so not sure if I should upload it but I swear it’s true (although I hate Mars).
On the other hand if there is no market – then greensh*t has nothing to worry about. Unless some rich guys wants to pay for whale safari – whale hunters won’t bother to go to sea.
I’d be very surprised if the whale hunting wasn’t underwritten by the fishing industry.
Or how else have they managed to survive since 2006? Is local demand enough?
LOCAL DEMAND ISN´T ENOUGH, BUT IT WILL SOON BE! THE KRONA LOST TODAY ANOTHER 2% AGAINST THE DOLLAR… IT IS TRAGIC, THE ICELANDIC “WORTHLESS” CURRENCY IS HEADING DOWN AGAIN… TODAY 1 EURO 177 ISK…
SO WITH PRICES IN ALL FOOD PRODUCTS GOING UP, THE KRONA GOING DOWN… I BET ICELANDERS WILL LIKE TO KEEP THE WHALE MEAT TO FEED THEMSELVES…
I think the truth about the lack of a Japanese market is about imported whale meat. They have their own whaling fleet and I doubt it is just for upsetting Greenpee. Easier to hide what is done only domestically. Over here we hear about ‘buy American’ which has already cost me my job. The same mantra can be heard all over the planet.
a non news item.
A minke whale that was by-caught in northern japan just the other day sold for 5.4MM yen. I don’t know any other product for which there is ‘no market’ that can fetch such a price.
If anything, there is a lack of meat in Japan. 5,000 tons for 126,000,000 people each year means less than enough per person for even a single meal – once every 365 days.
Greenpeace have a vested interest in the issue so take what they say with a grain of salt. Watch Mr. Loftsson instead – if there truely is no market then he will quickly stop supplying.
you’re right and wrong. Any sale at that much money suggests a market for sure. But not everyone eats whale so the portion per consumer is much higher, normal perhaps for those that eat it.
I think we’re a long way from the catch-em till they’re gone mentality. Perhaps because of smart people like GP or just common sense. I’d rather watch-em than catch-em but I don’t want to prevent those that do as long as it is sustainable.
So many hot topic issues these days. I don’t like abortion but I have no desire to criminalize it. Not my call and certainly not by Mr and Mrs self righteous.
You are right that not everyone would eat whale if it were available to them (irrespective of price). Nonetheless I personally suspect that the Japanese market will absorb the imports from Iceland without much problem. Time will tell.
Lets stop the pointless hunting of sea mammals already,
>This news comes from a recorded telephone conversation between the Asian
>Trading manager and a Greenpeace representative on 7th May this year.
Illegal wire tapping. That is nice.
>A group from Greenpeace arrived in Iceland yesterday, Sunday, to hold
>meetings with the authorities and politicians.
They are lucky that they left country with out bruises. Steingrímur J. * does * not like them.